When assigning a traffic channel to a wireless communication device (WCD), a radio access network (RAN) may transmit more than one channel assignment message to the WCD. Each of these channel assignment messages may be transmitted at approximately the same time via a different wireless coverage area. In this way, the probability that the WCD receives at least one channel assignment message is increased. However, channel assignment messages may be transmitted on paging channels, and with a higher priority than paging messages. Thus, transmitting channel assignment messages via too many wireless coverage areas may cause paging messages to be lost or delayed.